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Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Taking My Characters on Vacation

Regular readers know that, from time to time, I raid my Page-a-Day Happiness Project calendar for post prompts. Today, I've gathered a few of Gretchen's "Questions to Ask Yourself" to use as interview questions for my characters.

On the porch swing today are Marita Mercer, her best friend, Bets, her daughter Charli and Charli's stepmother, Angel (all from Casting the First Stoneand Chasing a Second Chance). Joining them is Kelsey Stevens, a professional organizer who's the protagonist in a new novel I'm working on, and her best friend, Roxanne.

I'm going to toss out the questions, and we'll see who chimes in with answers.

What little household task do you postpone most often?Bets: "Grocery shopping!"Marita: "True. There is never any food in your house!"Bets: "But there's always wine!"Do you like a day with no plans, or one that's jam-packed?Charli: "Busy! I hate being bored."Bets: "Me too!"Marita: "I also hate it when you're bored. Both of you."Angel: "I like it when a day goes according to plan."Kelsey: "So do I."

What foods remind you most of your childhood?Kelsey: "Big breakfasts. French toast, pancakes, homemade waffles."Roxanne: "I used to love coming to your house before school! I think your mom is part of the reason I make big breakfasts for my kids."Angel: "For me, it's my grandmother's Christmas cookies."Charli: "They're the best! Um, sorry, Mom."Marita: "Nope. I get it. I'm the first one to admit my 'homemade' cookies come from a roll of dough."Bets: "Hey, at least you make cookies!"Marita: "And you've delivered many a great pizza!"

What's most satisfying to you: saving time, money or effort?Kelsey: "Time."Marita: "Money."Bets: "Effort."Angel: "Jim would say money."Bets: "You got that right."Charli:"What would you say, Angel?"Angel: "I'm not sure."

Is your life "on hold" in any aspect? Until you lose weight, get a new house or get a promotion?Kelsey: "None of those. But, yes."Angel: "Not exactly."Bets: "Nope!"Charli: "Sorta. Mom? Um, Mom?"Marita (clears throat): "Everything's just peachy."

The third installment of the Angel-Marita-Charli story is in the works,

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About Lisa

Lisa is a transplanted Jersey girl who has lived in Pennsylvania most of her adult life. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in education, Lisa worked for 27 years as an elementary school counselor. Now retired from elementary education, Lisa works as an adjunct professor of psychology at York College of Pennsylvania. When she's not teaching, she works on blogs, articles and books.

Lisa is the author of two books inspired by her students, Acting Assertively and Diverse Divorce. She is also the author of two novels, Casting the First Stone and Chasing a Second Chance. In addition to posting here, Lisa also blogs at Organizing by STYLE and CatholicMom.com. Lisa is a regular contributor to Today's Catholic Teacher and Teachers of Vision.